Jack is back:

Shortland Street’s popular young doctor played by Reuben Milner makes a welcome return, but there’s trouble in store. Kerry Harvey reports.

Reuben Miller talks about his return to Shorty Street.

Jack is back and no one is happier to see the Ferndale favourite return than actor Reuben Milner.

“When I came back, it felt right,” says the 25-year-old actor, who has been filming on the Shortland Street set for a couple of months.

“It’s almost like coming back from a holiday to my house. You know, that coming home feeling.”

Milner joined the show early in 2015, just after he finished his days at Whangarei Boys’ High School, and when he left, in June 2019, he admitted it would be hard not to be Jack any more.

It turned out to be even tougher than he anticipated.

“When I first left it felt good to have a break but soon I was missing it a lot because I didn’t really have any (acting) opportunities come my way. And then Covid happened and there weren’t any opportunities for anyone,” Milner says. He went to work for his stepdad, doing cabling jobs in marinas and home maintenance. “It started to get to the point of, ‘Oh, when will my next acting role be?’ but eventually I made my way back here and I’m back into acting and it feels good to reignite the passion.” Originally, Jack was only meant to be around for four episodes but the producers liked what they saw and he was soon joined by the rest of his family – dad Mo (Jarod Rawiri), mum Margaret (Debbie Newby-Ward), older brother Curtis (Jayden Daniels) and little sister Pixie (Thomasin McKenzie). Tragedy struck the family early, with Pixie dying from cancer, mum Margaret being sent to prison and, later, Mo being killed in a plane crash. When older brother Curtis became an undercover cop, Jack was the last Hannah standing in Ferndale and then he left, moving to Waiheke Island

“I didn’t really miss the breaking down and then every second week having someone close to me die.”

– Reuben Milner

where he and husband Matiu (Shadon Meredith) pledged to nurse Margaret – who had cancer – back to health.

Now, the young doctor is back at Shortland Street and – true to form – it quickly becomes apparent there are troubles at home.

“Jack’s been through a lot of s... in his life,” Milner says, by way of understatement.

“I didn’t really miss the breaking down and then every second week having someone close to me die but it is really good to get back and reunite with Jack and bring a new kind of aspect to him as well. It’s been an exciting time.”

Meanwhile, he has his fingers crossed Jack might once again catch up with Curtis.

He and Head High star Daniels met on the set of Shortland Street and immediately “clicked”, Milner says.

“We had so much in common that we got along and we had things to do outside of work,” he adds, saying they have become fishing buddies who get together regularly. “I definitely see him as a very close friend-slash-brother.

“I’m extremely happy about that and the other friendships and stuff that Shorty has given me because it’s made me who I am today.”